The pedagogy of cultivating joy is designed to empower educators to build a meaningful personal practice that will nurture their desire and ability to find, create, notice, and experience joyful moments in their daily lives. As educators establish their personal practice of cultivating joy, they will have the opportunity to build deeper relationships with their faculty peers and create a communal language revolving around the pursuit of joy. The practices within this pedagogy will provide structure, a sense of accountability, and practical tools to incorporate the pursuit of joy into the fabric of their daily lives. By emphasizing the concept of consistent practice, this pedagogy ensures that the journey of cultivating joy becomes accessible to individuals regardless of external factors. It encourages educators to explore their sense of curiosity and childlike wonder, generating a mindset that actively seeks out joy in various aspects of life. This practice can be expanded for audiences other than educators and can be adapted to different environments.
March 2024
A Pedagogy of Cultivating Joy
The pedagogy of cultivating joy nurtures the souls of people who have the job of nurturing the souls of others.
For the last decade, Jessie has worked for and with remarkable organizations with the shared goal of revolutionizing Jewish education and engagement. After receiving a M.A. in Jewish Education from the Pardes Institute, Jessie began her career as a Nadiv Fellow - a leading-edge, experimental project envisioned by the Foundation for Jewish Camp by blending the best elements of camp with the best elements of Jewish day school. She spent many years teaching in a myriad of Jewish environments, including several Jewish day schools, Israel programs, camps, and religious schools. She built the educational philosophy, programming, and organizational culture for KAHAL, a start-up non-profit that created global leadership opportunities and connected college students with Jewish communities all over the world while they studied abroad. Jessie and her husband Adam built and ran Base Miami for six years, creating engagement strategies and programming for young Jewish professionals in Miami. During that time, Jessie also worked at JFNA as the Associate Director of Young Leadership Cabinet, focusing on creating and running immersive leadership training and Jewish identity-building programs. Jessie is currently the Interim Head of School and Director of Judaic Studies at the Gordon School and lives in Miami with her husband, two delicious kids, and sweet dog named Nadi, after her favorite cafe in Jerusalem.
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